IBBI Dismisses RTI Appeal Seeking Homebuyer Claim Details in Ansal CIRP

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), acting as the First Appellate Authority (FAA) under the RTI Act, dismissed an appeal filed by Meraj Beg, a financial creditor/homebuyer in the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) of Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Limited. The appellant sought eight points of information regarding the status of his claim, documents submitted, communications from the Resolution Professional (RP) and Authorised Representative (AR), and the resolution plan. The FAA upheld the Central Public Information Officer’s (CPIO) stance, ruling that the majority of the information sought—including claim acknowledgement, documents, and claim status—is not available with the IBBI and should be obtained directly from the Resolution Professional, who is mandated to receive, collate, and maintain claims under Sections 18(b) and 25 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. For the latest list of creditors, the FAA directed the appellant to the IBBI website. Crucially, the FAA denied access to the resolution plan under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act, classifying it as information held in commercial confidence, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of the Resolution Applicants.

BEFORE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FIRST APPELLATE AUTHORITY
INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY BOARD OF INDIA

7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market,
Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001
Dated: 13^th October 2025

Order under section 19 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) in respect of RTI
Appeal Registration No. ISBBI/A/E/25/000117
IN THE MATTER OF

Meraj Beg
Vs.
Central Public Information Officer
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market,
Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001.

1. The Appellant has filed the present Appeal dated 8th September 2025, challenging the communication of the Respondent, filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act). Since the Appeal required intricate analysis of legal provisions, same is disposed of within 45 days of the receipt of the impugned Appeal.

2. The Appellant had sought the following information in relation to his claim submitted as a financial creditor (homebuyer) in the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) of Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Limited.

“1. Acknowledgement or confirmation of receipt of Claim ID: APIL_FORM CA_9764 under FORM CA.

2. Certified copies of all documents and annexures submitted by me with the claim form.

3. The current status of my claim:- Whether pending, if yes, then expected time period, fully admitted, partialy admitted (mention admitted amount and reasons for partial acceptance), or rejected (with certified copy of reasons/order).

4. Any official communication, response, or observations made by the Interim Resolution Professional / Resolution Professional, Mr. Navneet Kumar Gupta (|BBI Reg. No. IBBIIPA-001//P-P00001/2016-2017/10009), in relation to my claim.

5. Action or representation taken by the Authorised Representative (AR) for homebuyers, Mr. Gulshan Gaba (|BBI Reg. No. IBBVIPA-001/|P-PO0548/2017-18/10978), concerning this claim.

6. A certified copy of the latest list of creditors (class of homebuyers) reflecting the updated status of my claim.

7. Any resolution plan (interim/final) that may impact the processing or payment related to this claim.

8. If the claim has been transferred, modified, or reassigned, kindly provide the change trail or updated status along with dates.”

3. The CPIO Respondent has, inter-alia, stated that the information sought by the Appellant is not available with the Board. Aggrieved with the same, the Appellant has filed the present Appeal stating that the CPIO has wrongly denied the information sought since the Board is the supervisor of CIR process and accordingly, possess all documents pertaining to them.

4. I have carefully examined the applications, the responses of the Respondent and the Appeals and find that the matter can be decided based on the material available on record. In terms of section 2(f) of the RTI Act ‘information’ means “any material in any form, including records, documents, memos e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.” It is pertinent to note that the Appellant’s “right to information’ flows from section 3 of the RTI Act and the said right is subject to other provisions of the Act. Section 2(j) of the RTI Act defines the “right to information” in term of information accessible under the Act which is held by or is under the control of a public authority. Thus, if the public authority holds any information in the form of data, statistics, abstracts, an applicant can have access to the same under the RTI Act subject to exemptions under section 8.

8. The impugned Appeal is dealt as under: –

6. The Appeal is, accordingly, disposed of.

Sd/-

(Kulwant Singh)

First Appellate Authority

Copy to:

1. Appellant, Meraj Beg

2. CPIO, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, 7^th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market, Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001.